The impact of a patient education bundle on neurosurgery patient satisfaction

As reimbursements and hospital/physician performance become ever more reliant on Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) and other quality metrics, physicians are increasingly incentivized to improve patient satisfaction.

A faculty and resident team at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Neurological Surgery developed and implemented a Patient Education Bundle. This consisted of two parts: The first was preoperative expectation letters (designed to inform patients of what to expect before, during, and after their hospitalization for a neurosurgical procedure); the second was a trifold brochure with names, photographs, and specialty/training information about the attending surgeons, resident physicians, and nurse practitioners on the neurosurgical service. We assessed patient satisfaction, as measured by HCAHPS scores and a brief survey tailored to our specific intervention, both before and after our Patient Education Bundle intervention.

Prior to our intervention, 74.6% of patients responded that the MD always explained information in a way that was easy to understand. After our intervention, 78.7% of patients responded that the MD always explained information in a way that was easy to understand. "Neurosurgery Patient Satisfaction survey" results showed that 83% remembered receiving the preoperative letter; of those received the letter, 93% found the letter helpful; and 100% thought that the letter should be continued.

Although effects were modest, we believe that patient education strategies, as modeled in our bundle, can improve patients' hospital experiences and have a positive impact on physician performance scores and hospital ratings.